SAR Membership

Are you interested in becoming a SAR Member?

There are several steps involved in becoming a member, and we are here to guide and assist you in your research.

The first question to answer is: Do you know or believe you have a Patriot Ancestor in your family? If you know of such an ancestor, who he/she is, what they did during the Revolutionary War effort, and you have a family tree showing the lineage connecting you and your "Patriot Ancestor" your quest for membership is off to a great start!

Even if you are not certain whether any of your ancestors lived during the Revolutionary War effort, you should not feel disappointed. Many of our members could not answer this question when they first became interested in SAR membership. And, many were surprised at the rich family histories they uncovered during their research. Many Patriots never fought in the Revolutionary War, but supported the American colonists struggle by supplying financial, public service, medical aid, food, and other supplies and services to support the cause. Some were not even American colonist, but rather were foreign supporters of the American Revolution.

First you should determine your chain of ancestors connecting you by bloodline (not through adopted children) descent to or from a Patriot Ancestor. That means that you don't need to know your entire family tree, just a single line of your family tree that connects you to a Patriot. Let your curiosity about your bloodline and heritage take you back to the founding of the USA! Even if you are not certain you have a Patriot Ancestor, there are sophisticated databases of ancestral chains and records showing links between generations. Many genealogical societies, websites, and lineage organizations provide assistance with family history searches. The SAR has many volunteer helpers to guide prospective members in their development of a lineage to a Patriot Ancestor. In many cases, a SAR helper may have resources that are not generally available to the public that will reveal a likely ancestor, promising leads, or additional suggestions of library references to aid in your research. Your family line to a Patriot Ancestor will typically be seven to ten generations long, and by simply taking the first step to uncover your family's history you could be on your way to becoming an SAR member.

The SAR application listing your lineage must be accompanied by copies of documents that support this lineage. This means you will need to locate documents linking parents to children through seven to nine generations. This may seem rather overwhelming at first; however, the task is usually much simpler than it appears since there is a significant amount of family history information on file with the both the SAR and DAR. Information from earlier SAR or DAR applications can be used to support your Patriot lineage and there is no need to resubmit it. Existing SAR or DAR lineage information can simply be referred to in your application.

To start your application process, please be prepared to provide your SAR helper with copies of documentation for your most recent three generations, starting with yourself. Your birth certificate and marriage certificate are a good starting point. Also, copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates for your parents and grandparents, will be required. Your birth certificate links you to your parents, and your parent’s birth certificate links them to their parents, and your grandparent’s birth certificates link them to their parents. The more documentation you can provide to confirm your lineage, the easier it will be for your SAR helper to prepare your application.